South Korea – Japan Trade Spat

CBJ — The government of South Korean is asking the help of the United States to try and broker a deal will Japan over its decision to tighten controls on high-tech exports.

South Korean officials discussed the issue with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

It appears Pompeo was sympathetic to the situation and agreed to help facilitate communication through diplomatic channels among Washington, Seoul and Tokyo.

Tokyo recently tightened the approval process for Japanese shipments of photo-resists and other sensitive materials to South Korean companies, which need the chemicals to produce semiconductors and display screens used in TVs and smartphones.

The diplomatic dispute over that has further soured relations long troubled over Japan’s colonial rule of Korea before the end of World War Two.